Toy balloon holder



Jan. 5, 1954 H. P. BURROUGHS TOY BALLOON HOLDER Filed Nov. 7, 1949INVENTOR. HflL BEET PBUEROUGHS BY A TTORNEYS Patented Jan. 5, 1954UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY BALLOON HOLDER Halbert P. Burroughs,Seattle, Wash.

Application November 7, 1949, Serial No. 125,961

g 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in means for the attaching of airinflated rubber balloons to sticks or stem types of holders, and it hasfor its principal object to provide a novel securing means that willserve both to hold the inflating neck of the'balloon so that theinflating medium cannot escape and also to support the balloon in anupright position at the end of the holding stick.

For a better understanding of the present invention and its variousadvantages, it will here be explained that it has been a generalpractise in the past to attach the common types of air inflated toyballoons to sticks of reed-like character by twisting the inflating neckportion of the balloon and. then so looping or tieing it about an endportion of the stick that the balloon will be secured thereto in itsinflated condition. While this method of securement of a balloon iseffective, there is the undesirable result in this manner of securementof causing the balloon to project laterally from the holding stick. Fromthe standpoint of sales promotion, it is desirable that the balloonshould have the appearance of being held captive against a tendency toascend, and such manner of connection as has previously been used givesthe opposite impression.

In view of the above, it has been the principal object of this inventionto provide a simple and inexpensive balloon mounting and securing meansthat may readily be applied to the end of a stick or reed, and to whichmeans the air inflated, toy balloon may be readily applied in a mannerto hold it against deflation, and also to support the balloon in thedesired manner for imparting the impression of its being held captiveand having a tendency to ascend.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a balloonmounting means comprising an annular support, or seat, that is fixed tothe end of a holding or supporting stick, coaxially thereof and in aplane perpendicular thereto, and with which mounting or seat is includeda part to which the twisted neck portion of the inflated balloon may beapplied to prevent deflation of the balloon and also to anchor theballoon and also to draw it tightly against the annular seat, thus tohold it in a substantially fixed position relative to the stick holder.

Further objects of the invention reside in the detail of construction ofthe balloon mounting seat and its mode of application to, andrelationship with the holding stick or stem.

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects of the presentinvention, I have provided the improved details of construction thepreferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein- Fig. 1 is a side view of an inflated toy balloon, secured to astick or stem by means of a mount ing embodied by the present invention.

In that embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. ,1, the balloonholder comprises a stick it equipped with a balloon securing seat whichis designated in its entirety byreferen'ce numeral l2. The stick, orstem, in its usual form, comprises a wooden strip about two feet long,and. about in diameter, and of flexible, reed-like character. Thesecuring seat l2 comprises a round piece of wood, plastic or othersuitable material, that is pressed, or turned to cup-like form, about indiameter, and drilled with a hole [4 in its base to provide for mountingthe cup I2 on the end of the stick Ill. The hole M should be of suchdiameter that it will contain the end position of the stick in afriction tight fit and thus glue or the like will not be required toinsure securement of the parts together.

In the various views, the stick or stem I0 is shown to be applied to thebase of the cup in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the annularrim portion. However, the hole l4 might likewise be directed into thebody of the cup but angularly with respect to the plane of the rim, ifthis should be so desired.

Formed in the side wall of the cup-like slot, and extending from the rimto near the axial line, is a slot l5, about $4 wide. The relationship ofthe stick to the cup or mounting I2 is well shown in Figs. 1 and 4, andit will be understood that the mounting is held rigid relative to thestick.

Toy balloons that are to be used with the present device are of rubberand have an inflating neck portion. In the drawings a balloon has beendesignated by numeral [6. After the balloon has been inflated, the neckportion thereof, designated at liar, is usually twisted and secured toretain the inflating air in the balloon.

The mode of use of the present device is as follows: First, the balloonI6 is inflated and the neck portion I61: thereof is twisted in the usualway. Then the outer end of the neck portion is pressed against the baseof the cup and while the neck is stretched quite taut, it is wound onceor twice about the stick, and is drawn upwardly into the slot [5,permitting the inflated balloon to be seated in the cup, as has beenillustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. Thus the neck of the balloon. will beateen a'men h win. P eventany possible'escape of air and, because of itsbeing held under tension, the balloon will be; firmly seated against therim of the cup. This securement holds the balloon substantially in afixed position relativ to the stick. Thus when the stick is in verticalposition, as in Fig. l, there is the allusion of the balloon being heldagainst ascension.

Thus the seat [2, the slot I and the stick Ill form a frame 9 af emiliemea s, e qhrart eefii ei e in unc v g ie i q' pthia 'se: e e s r eQaq a n e l e i diam m nim? lloonii anfupiight position; that is; withthe diamet rical axis bf efb leea. nrqi ht he n kjcioinlili l st n l Weh i 'ongitu n l xi oftiie sucwoetne seat extended; The] stick functiensi bly fir ts m untins ea for the seat 12 and; also as an anchor about hh h trsfiehqt a s'mai. a i ol d n issinehi a i ,i29sit on:.m" ;eh ldgainst.

,prime;inf ateqi' wohl -locate the i stretched neck and 8 Stick enehi iameai se eat. evades. as a: niean e ains t if? 11 19 17 iitl eqst tqhtsnew a i ina s i e nrli 'mia a t wh ch:

beat 1. a a hr ,l.. ie.slot; .njtl jl ensibn f h n ckse k The holders ofFig. 1 may be made of wood, plastic, or of metal without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

It is desirable also that the stem l0 be equipped at its lower end witha knob as at I02: as an aid to holding and also to be an insuranceagainst injury.

Having thus described, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

A holder to: inflated toy-balloons comprising a balloon holder stick; aballoon securing support comprising a block element having an undersurface extending laterally from said stick and an upper surface whichlatter constitutes a seat onlwhich, an inflated balloon may rest, saidseat being concave. and substantially coaxial with said stick, and saidblock element being providedwith a slot extending from its marginal edgeinwardly and substantially toward said stick and terminating, in a wall.closely, adjacent: said stick, said. walk being substantially parallelto.

said stick;

Refer n es Cit dv n he. .fi e. 2 t is pat nt TATESe A ENTS Number NameDate- Merritt; Dec; 30 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS,

Country. Date) 225,131

Reed Jan; 26; 192s Solecki Mar: 2; 1943-- Windson- Man 19; 1946-

